The Secret Doctrine

The Secret Doctrine
by Larry Kunk
Ephesians 5:11, Inc.
P. O. Box 29
Fishers, Indiana 46038
Does the Masonic Lodge have a secret doctrine which is known by only those at the top
of the organization? If knowledge of a secret doctrine were not restricted to only those in
the higher degrees, how would the Lodge select which men were to have access to
those secret teachings? What methods would be used to promote, while at the same
time restrict such sensitive information?
If there were a secret doctrine, would it be possible to accurately know its teachings
without joining the organization? Most Masons, even those in the higher degrees, will be
quick to deny the existence of any secret doctrine.
Many Masons have claimed that The ritual is all that there is. Is that really true? Are
Masonic teachings limited to ritual, or are there teachings beyond the ritual which
Masonry attempts to convey to its members? To answer those questions, we must turn
to the writings of Masonic authorities.
The highest authority of Freemasonry
Many times, Masons have claimed that the ritual is the only authority of Freemasonry. In
examining that claim, we need to acknowledge that the rituals of the degrees of
Freemasonry were written by men. Is it reasonable to assign higher authority to a work
than is given its author or authors? Obviously those who wrote the rituals have or had a
greater level of authority than the rituals which they produced. If we could identify the
authors of the rituals, we would unquestionably identify men who are Masonic
authorities. It would be very difficult today to identify all of the authors of the rituals of
the three degrees of the Blue Lodge. The ritual was not written all at once, but evolved
over time. (1)
The major portions of the ritual are well over one hundred years old. All of the major
authors are dead. However, it is quite easy to identify those who have the ability to alter
the ritual as practiced in Lodges today. Any Grand Lodge has the authority to alter the
ritual which is practiced in its jurisdiction. There are portions of ritual, called landmarks
which Grand Lodges will never alter in any significant way. But, there is some
divergence of opinion among various Grand Lodges as to which actually do constitute
all of the true landmarks of Freemasonry. According to the Indiana Monitor and
Freemason's Guide, there are seven which are universally accepted. (2)
An example of one of those seven landmarks is the Legend of the Third Degree. The
Legend of the Third Degree cannot be significantly altered without altering the nature of
Freemasonry. However, less essential portions of the ritual can be, and have been,
altered by ruling Grand Lodges. An example which demonstrates that the ritual can be
changed has been provided by the Grand Lodge of England. In recent times, the Grand
Lodge of England removed the blood oaths from the ritual of the Blue Lodge. Obviously,
since a Grand Lodge has the ability to alter ritual, it has higher authority than the ritual.
The ritual is the product of an authority or authorities.
Another means of determining with whom the highest authority rests is to consider the
process by which a new Lodge is formed. In the United States the practice is for the
Grand Master to issue a dispensation to operate until the ensuing Grand Lodge at which
the dispensation may be continued, a charter may be granted, or the dispensation
dismissed. (3 )
Since the Grand Lodges are the highest authorities of Masonry, Grand Lodge
publications produced for use by Masons including Masonic Monitors, books of Masonic
Law, and training materials are excellent sources of authoritative Masonic teaching.
Other written materials which are listed as recommended reading in Grand Lodge
publications which are produced for consumption by Masons would also be excellent
sources of Masonic information.
There are 49 Grand Lodges in the United States, one in each of the 48 continental
states and one in the District of Columbia. (4) Alaska and Hawaii fall under the
jurisdictions of the Grand Lodges of Washington and California respectively. Many
Masonic bodies have official periodical publications which provide a window into the
Masonic system.
How do Grand Lodges begin the training process?
Lodge training methods in general are variations on a theme. The general method is to
conduct the candidate through the ritual and explain to him that the ritual has meanings
which he can only know if he discovers them through his own efforts. The Lodge never
tells a candidate directly what the complete meaning of the ritual is.
A series of booklets have been compiled by the Committee on Masonic Education of the
Grand Lodge of Iowa for use in educating the new Mason. The booklets are titled On
the Threshold, The Entered Apprentice, The Fellow Craft, and The Master Mason. They
have been adopted and republished by Grand Lodges in other states, including Indiana
and North Carolina. The Indiana version has been through multiple printings. These
training materials can be given to new members as they progress through the first three
degrees of the Blue Lodge. The first booklet, On the Threshold, is given to the newly
elected member before he receives the Entered Apprentice degree. After each degree
is conferred, the booklet with the same name is then presented to the man. These
particular booklets are not used in all jurisdictions. Their content is congruent with other
Masonic writings. As we shall see, some Grand Lodges use other tools to achieve the
same end.
Most Grand Lodges produce a Monitor, which is given to each new member. The
names of the Monitors vary from state to state. In Virginia it is called the Virginia Text
Book. In West Virginia, the monitor is titled Masonic Text Book. In Georgia, the monitor
is titled Masonic Manual and Code. The Grand Lodge of Indiana publishes the Indiana
Monitor and Freemason's Guide, which must be given to each man when he is raised to
Master Mason. That requirement is Masonic Law in the state of Indiana. (5)
The term, "raised" is used in the same sense as raised from the dead. In the Indiana
Monitor and Freemason's Guide, under Declaration of Principles, the Grand Lodge
states:
It is a social organization only so far as it furnishes additional inducement that men may
forgather in numbers, thereby providing more material for its primary work of education,
of worship, and of charity. (page 35)
The monitor published by the Grand Lodge of Indiana tells new Master Masons that the
Lodge is not primarily a social organization; its primary purpose is education, worship
and charity. Many Masons have claimed that the Lodge is simply a social organization.
In a footnote at the bottom of the page, the Grand Lodge explains the purpose of the
Declaration of Principles:
"In order to correct any misunderstanding and to refute willful misrepresentation, this
Declaration of Principles was adopted by the Grand Lodge of Indiana on May 24, 1939."
(page 35)
The Grand Lodge of Indiana wants each Mason to know that its primary purpose is
education, worship and charity. The Lodge makes it clear that any social nature is
strictly or the purpose of enlarging membership. The Masonic Manual and Code,
published by the Grand Lodge of Georgia, contains the same Declaration of Principles.
(6 )
The Declaration was formulated in February, 1939, by the Grand Masters Conference in
Washington, D.C. (7) The Declaration of Principles was widely accepted and is used by
many Grand Lodges.
Masonic monitors often contain footnotes or text which lifts up prominent Masonic
authors or books. The favorable mention of a Masonic author in a monitor would lead
many to believe that the Grand Lodge was endorsing the writings of those authors. An
example is the following text from the Masonic Text Book (8) for use in the Lodges of
West Virginia:
"Brother Albert Pike, one of the most illustrious Masons in all the ages, and who was an
acknowledged authority upon all Masonic questions, was a believer in ancient
Landmarks. . ." (page 25)
The Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide mentions Masonic historian H.L. Haywood
and James E. Craig as prominent modern authors. (9) Haywood gives a very truthful
description of the purpose of the Lodge in his book, The Great Teachings of Masonry.
(10) In it, Haywood wrote the following:
"The Fraternity itself exists in order to keep fixed on a man a certain set of influences,
and in order to bring about certain changes in the world, etc.: its secrecy is a means to
that end, and helps to make such a purpose possible." (page 33)
After the deeper meanings of the ritual are fully understood, the words of Haywood will
take on an ominous meaning. Many statements in Masonic books cannot be properly
understood by those not acquainted with the deeper meanings of the ritual. Masonic
books contain teachings which go over the heads of most who read them. To those who
are familiar with the deeper meanings, the writings are easily understood.
Masonry's Most Important Symbol
Masonry is full of symbols. The most important of those symbols is discussed in a
cursory way in the Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide:
"The Legend of the Third Degree. This is the most important and significant of the
legendary symbols of Freemasonry. It has descended from age to age by oral tradition,
and has been preserved in every Masonic rite, practiced in any country or language,
with no essential alteration." (page 38)
The Legend of the Third Degree and the Significance of the LOST WORD
The Lost Word, and the rediscovery of it, is a central theme in Masonic ritual. The
setting for the legend is the building of Solomon's temple, just before completion. In the
ritual of the third degree, each man who is raised to Master Mason is required to portray
Hiram Abiff, the Grand Master. For working on the temple the Fellowcrafts are to
receive the secrets of a Master Mason which will entitle them to the wages of a Master.
Some of the men do not want to wait until the appropriate time to obtain the secrets.
Hiram Abiff is accosted by three men who are referred to in the ritual as the three
ruffians. They are Jubela, Jubelo and Jebulum. They demand that he reveal to them the
secrets of a Master Mason.
Hiram Abiff is a righteous individual, he will not reveal the secrets to them until the
proper time and place and then only in the presence of Hiram, King of Tyre and
Solomon, King of Israel. The first ruffian encounters Hiram Abiff at the south gate but
fails to obtain the Master's Word. The second ruffian encounters Hiram Abiff in the west
and demands, "Give me the Master's Word, or I will take your life in a moment!"
The third ruffian engages Hiram Abiff in the east and does take his life. Hiram is unjustly
murdered. When he died, the Word was lost because it could not be mentioned except
in the presence of the two Hirams and Solomon. Hiram Abiff is buried on the brow of a
hill west of Mount Moriah to conceal the crime and the three murderers attempt to flee
the country. After King Solomon notices that Hiram Abiff is missing, a search is
mounted. One of the searchers finds a fresh grave. The body is confirmed to be that of
Grand Master Hiram Abiff.
At the grave site, King Solomon (the Worshipful Master) declares that the Master's
Word has been lost. He declares that the first Word spoken after the body is raised will
be adopted for the regulation of the Masters' Lodges until future generations shall find
the right Word. King Solomon instructs the Entered Apprentices and the Fellowcrafts to
attempt to raise the body of Hiram. They fail to resurrect their Master from the dead.
They are unable to raise Hiram because the flesh leaves from the bone. The Worshipful
Master makes the attempt and Hiram Abiff is then raised from the dead by the strong
grip of the lions paw of the tribe of Judah. (Jesus is the real Lion of the tribe of Judah.)
The first word spoken after being raised from the dead is spoken on the five points of
fellowship. The word is MAH-HAH-BONE; it is the substitute for the Lost Word to be
used until the Lost Word is again found.
The Meaning of the Legend of the Third Degree
What is the meaning of the ritual? The Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide has the
following to say about the meaning of the Legend of the Third Degree:
"It was the single object of all the ancient rites and mysteries practiced in the very
bosom of pagan darkness, shining as a solitary beacon in all that surrounding gloom,
and cheering the philosopher in his weary pilgrimage of life, to teach the immortality of
the soul. This is still the great design of the third degree of Masonry. This is the scope
and aim of its ritual. The Master Mason represents man, when youth, manhood, old
age, and life itself have passed away as fleeting shadows, yet raised from the grave of
iniquity, and quickened into another and better existence. By its legenuter disk is
incompatible with Publisher's program, Publishers d and all its ritual, it is implied that we
have been redeemed from the death of sin and the sepulchre of pollution. (pages 144-
145)
The paragraph from the Indiana monitor was written by Albert G. Mackey, one of
Masonry's most respected authors. The text is found in Mackey's book, Manual of the
Lodge. (11) By mandating that each man be given a copy of the monitor, the Grand
Lodge of Indiana is really telling every new Master Mason raised in Indiana that the
ritual implies that they have been redeemed from the death of sin.
Anything that is said to redeem a man from the death of sin can only properly be
described as a PLAN OF SALVATION. The Grand Lodge of Indiana does not use the
word salvation, yet it is obviously implied and is found in the original source, the Manual
of the Lodge: (12)
". . .the Master Mason represents a man saved from the grave of iniquity, and raised to
the faith of salvation." (page 96)
Although Manual of the Lodge was written over 130 years ago, it is still in print! It is
reproduced completely in the Ahiman Rezon, (13) the Masonic monitor published by the
authority of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. The statement that the Master Mason
represents a man saved from the grave of iniquity, and raised to the faith of salvation
also found in the North Carolina Lodge Manual, published by the Grand Lodge of North
Carolina North. (14)
The Monitor and Ceremonies, Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons, published by the
order of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska also contains Mackey's teachings concerning
salvation. (15) Mackey's writings from Manual of the Lodge are reproduced faithfully.
Obviously Albert Mackey is a Masonic authority whose writings concerning salvation
have been endorsed by Grand Lodges.
Masonic monitors provide evidence that many Grand Lodges, the highest authorities of
Freemasonry, currently teach that the Master Mason has been redeemed from the
death of sin. The Master Mason is said to represent a man saved from the grave of
iniquity, and raised to the faith of salvation. There are other writings found in Masonic
monitors which would encourage a Mason to believe that he has salvation or that he will
go to heaven when his days on earth come to an end. Consider the following two
passages:
"The covering of a Lodge is a clouded canopy, or star-decked heaven, where all good
Masons hope at last to arrive . . ."
". . . we should apply our knowledge to the discharge of our respective duties, to God,
our neighbors and ourselves, so that in age, as Master Masons, we may enjoy the
happy reflections consequent on a well-spent life, and die in the hope of a glorious
immortality."
The two passages above are found in the monitors of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North
Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. (16)
The monitor from Texas contained only a portion of the latter passage. Monitors from
nineteen states were checked. Since all which were checked contained the two
passages, it is statistically reasonable to assume that the vast majority, if not all, of the
monitors of other states will also contain them.
What is the common source of the text? The first passage is from the ritual of Entered
Apprentice degree, while the second passage is from the ritual of the Master Mason
degree. During the third degree ritual, just before Hiram Abiff is raised from the dead,
the Worshipful Master offers a prayer which ends with the following:
"Yet, O Lord! have compassion on the children of thy creation, administer them comfort
in time of trouble, and save them with an everlasting salvation. Amen. So mote it be."
No Mason can truthfully say that the Lodge does not hold out the hope of salvation to
the Master Mason. The man who has not been in the Lodge in years, and probably
doesn't remember ritual clearly, can check his monitor and verify that Masonry teaches
that the Master Mason may expect salvation.
Master Masons include Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Mormons, members of Christian
Churches and some who have no religious affiliation other than the Lodge. Masonry
requires only a belief in a Deity. Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, and Mormons all reject
the unique Deity of Jesus Christ. Since Masonry teaches that Master Masons as a class
are redeemed from the death of sin, raised to the faith of salvation, many die in the
vacant hope of a glorious immortality.
Masonry is claiming one of the following to be true:
1. Something is brought about in the making of a Master Mason which provides
salvation
2. All men who believe in a Deity have salvation, regardless of the identity of that Deity.
Either teaching is unacceptable to a Christian. The Mason who professes to be
Christian is presented with a bit of a dilemma. Can a man be a Christian and at the
same time embrace an organization which gives assurance of salvation on terms other
than faith in Jesus Christ? What will Jesus say?
How is the education process continued?
The ritual of Freemasonry, as well as the writings in the monitors, assures the Master
Mason of salvation. However, the ritual and the monitors do not explain exactly how the
Master Mason is to be saved. The deeper meanings of the rituals contained in the
secret teachings are concealed from some, while revealed to others. What does the
Grand Lodge of Indiana do to encourage the new Master Mason to discover the deeper
meanings behind the ritual? In the Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, the Grand
Lodge of Indiana states:
"In the ceremonies of making a Mason, we do not attempt to do more than to indicate
the pathway Masonic knowledge, to lay the foundation for the Masonic edifice. The
brother must pursue the journey or complete the structure for himself by reading and
reflection." (page 124)
Clearly, the Grand Lodge of Indiana advises all Master Masons that they are not being
given all of the significant knowledge about Freemasonry. They are told that they must
read, and reflect upon what they have read, to obtain a complete understanding. Which
books should a Mason read to learn about Freemasonry? Obviously, those written by
Masonic authors. But, some Masons don't spend the time to do the required reading to
complete the structure
or to develop an in depth knowledge of Freemasonry. In their ignorance, they are
unaware of how much they don't know. Those who do spend the time to do the research
necessary to understand the deeper things of the craft are bound by oath not to reveal
them to non-Masons. Each man determines for himself if he will gain access to
additional Masonic teachings or not. If he is excluded from additional knowledge, it is
because he has not made the effort to read and reflect.
Various methods used by other Grand Lodges
The monitors used in Ohio Lodges are not as detailed as those of Indiana, South
Carolina and some other states. Masonic Lodge Methods (17) by L. B. Blakemore, a
Past Grand Master of Ohio, discusses the importance of the Lodge library and suggests
the following:
"It is suggested that when a Candidate has been Raised, and while he is still in the
Master's care, the Lodge Librarian, or the Chaplain, or the Master himself should
address him somewhat as follows: 'I herewith present you with a Masonic book which I
have borrowed for you from our Lodge Library (or other Masonic Library). You will read
it and return it and secure another one and so continue your search for more light in
Masonry.' This is impressive and figures in the Candidate's mind as a part of his
Initiation and starts him out on a search for more 'Masonic Light' and information. The
book presented should be an interesting one carefully selected with a view to his ability
to appreciate it. (pages 43 and 44)
The practice of giving a book to a new Master Mason rather than lending one from the
Lodge Library is also common. Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company's
September 1992 catalog (18) names The Builders (19) as one of the outstanding classics
in Masonic literature. The catalog goes on to say that many Grand Lodges present a
copy to each newly raised Mason. Evidence of that fact was found in a copy of The
Builders. The bookplate states: "Presented to (the man's name) on being raised to the
Sublime Degree of Master Mason." It was signed by the Master of a Wisconsin Lodge.
The Builders and its author, Joseph Fort Newton, are listed in footnotes and text in
Masonic monitors from various states. In the Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, a
long quote from The Builders is reproduced. The text just prior to the quote identifies the
author and title of the book and states that: "It bids fair to become a Masonic classic."
(page 162)
The Kentucky Monitor (20) contains a long quote from The Builders. The quote is used
to answer the question: When is a man a Mason?
Just before the quote, which is used to answer the question, the Kentucky Monitor
states:
"There is no satisfactory formula, Dr. Joseph Fort Newton, in his Masonic classic, 'The
Builders' at least expresses its true philosophy when he says: . . . (page ix)
When Grand Lodges take writings of a particular man for use in Masonic monitors, they
themselves do not author that portion of the monitor, but grant authority to those who
wrote the quoted text. In the act of quoting, the Grand Lodge acknowledges the author
to be an accepted source of accurate Masonic information. In other words, the Grand
Lodge identifies the author being quoted as a Masonic authority. Denials that Masonic
authors who are quoted in official Grand Lodge publications are authorities on
Freemasonry ring hollow.
The Masonic training booklets which were compiled by the Committee on Masonic
Education, and have been reprinted by various Grand Lodges, stress the importance of
the writings of Masonic authors. The final booklet, The Master Mason, contains the
following:
"It is safe to say that among the countless thousands who have in the past been raised
to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason, no one of them realized at the time the full
implications of the ceremony. This clearly would be impossible. Yet it is vitally important
that the deeper meanings of this degree be understood if one is to become a Master
Mason in fact as well as in name."(page 2)
The Master Mason has been authorized and is used by multiple Grand Lodges including
those of Iowa, Indiana and North Carolina. The Grand Lodges teach that a man cannot
become a Master Mason in fact as well as in name until he knows the deeper meanings
of the Master Mason Degree. The implications of such a teaching are significant. If
Master Masons as a class have salvation, then unless a particular man was a Master
Mason in fact as well as in name, he would not necessarily have salvation. The
instruction continues:
"This final booklet is intended to indicate something of what lies beyond the instruction
you have already received. If it encourages you to investigate still further it will indeed
have served a good purpose. The literature of Masonry in all its many phases is within
your reach and your Worshipful Master or Secretary can give you particulars. (page 2)
Your enjoyment of Freemasonry, its value to you in your future life, your contribution to
the fulfillment of its great mission, will be in direct proportion to your understanding of its
secrets, which, if you recall the degree through which you have just passed, you do not
yet have and which can only be gained by your own endeavors and the assistance of
your brethren . . . Much has been written of Freemasonry. Probably your own Lodge
possesses a library of books telling of the history of Freemasonry and treating of its
philosophy, symbolism, and jurisprudence. These books are at your disposal at all times
and there are many others that you may purchase for study in your own home. (page 3-
4)
Clearly, the Grand Lodges using these booklets are endorsing use of the Lodge library
as a means to becoming a Master Mason in fact as well as one in name. The Grand
Lodges also state that many of the Masonic books, which they would have a new
Master Mason read to gain an understanding of the deeper meanings, are available for
purchase.
A non-Mason Can Understand the Secrets of Masonry
The rituals of the first three degrees have been thoroughly revealed and are available in
written form to anyone who has an interest in them. Masonic books which are found in
Lodge libraries are available from a number of sources. An individual who is not a
Mason can read and reflect and come to a very detailed understanding of Masonic
teachings. The primary criteria should be to identify those materials which are produced
for the consumption of Masons by a credible Masonic authority and which are
distributed throughout the Masonic system with the knowledge and cooperation of ruling
Masonic bodies such as a Grand Lodge.
Discovering the Deeper Meaning
If the new Mason raised in Indiana diligently read all of the materials issued to him by
the Grand Lodge of Indiana, it would be reasonable for him to start his search for the
deeper meanings of the ritual by obtaining a copy of The builders, by Joseph Fort
Newton. It is endorsed as a classic in both the Indiana and Kentucky monitors. Many
Grand Lodges present a copy of it to the new Master Mason. The builders is the first
Masonic book, not published by a Grand Lodge, which many Masons read. The builders
contains a chapter which is titled The Secret Doctrine. The chapter title gives away the
fact that the Masonic Lodge does indeed have a Secret Doctrine. Current editions
contain a seven-page bibliography which points the seeking Mason to Masonic books
which explain the Secret Doctrine in detail. Several of the Masonic books used here to
document the Secret Doctrine are listed in the bibliography in The builders.
Tying the Existence of a Secret Doctrine to the Grand Lodge
Indirectly tying the existence of the Secret Doctrine back to the Grand Lodge of Indiana
and many other states is not difficult. When a Masonic Monitor or other Grand Lodge
publication uses quotes from The builders, or declares that it is a Masonic classic, an
indirect link between the Secret Doctrine and the Grand Lodge has been created.
Finding a direct link between the Secret Doctrine and a Grand Lodge is more difficult.
It would appear that a direct link exists in the Kentucky Monitor. The thirteenth edition of
the Kentucky Monitor contains an index that lists Secret Doctrine among the entries.
Seventeen pages are listed as having information about the Secret Doctrine. The most
direct passage is found in a preface entitled The Spirit of Masonry:
"This, in short, is a synopsis of the story that Masonry attempts to tell, the Secret
Doctrine, completed from the wisdom of the ancient East." (page xix)
Most of the text referring to the Secret Doctrine on those seventeen pages of the
Kentucky Monitor is similar to the following two passages:
"Masonry has been defined as a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and
illustrated by symbols. Now an allegory is a story told to illustrate or convey some truth.
Some of the most important truths have been handed down to us through allegories,
that being one of the favorite methods of the Master used to convey His teachings. It is
one of the peculiarities of an allegory that its message may not be understood by all
men. One must be prepared with his own mind and heart to receive the truth or else he
sees it not. It is only a few of all those who hear who perceive the lesson designed to be
taught by the allegory. The great majority, having ears to hear, hear not; having eyes to
see, see not the beautiful lesson but hear only a pretty story that interests for a short
while and then is lost. But the earnest seeker for truth, he who is duly and truly prepared
for its perception, sees beyond the veil of the allegory and perceives the beautiful,
simple truth which it conceals from the multitude but reveals to the chosen few. (page
20)
"So, my brother, Masonry teaches by allegories and symbols, and it is your part to
extract from them the truths that will be of service to you in the building of an upright
Masonic character. If you perceive only the stories that Masonry presents to you and do
not see deeper into what they are designed to teach, you will miss the most wonderful
part of Masonry . . ." (pages 20-21)
Does this link the Grand Lodge of Kentucky directly to the existence of a Secret
Doctrine? Some would say no, because the Kentucky Monitor is not published directly
by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. Yet, the Kentucky Monitor, which was arranged by
Henry Pirtle, has been presented to new Master Masons in Lodges throughout
Kentucky for more than fifty years. Pirtle is a Past Master or former Worshipful Master of
the Lodge. Like the Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, the Kentucky Monitor
borrows much of its verbiage from books written by Masonic authorities and those
books and authors are often listed in footnotes. Because the Kentucky Monitor is not
published by the Grand Lodge it can be slightly more direct without linking the Grand
Lodge to the Secret Doctrine.
Others would say that it does directly link the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to the existence
of a Secret Doctrine because the Kentucky Monitor is presented to every Master Mason
raised in the Bluegrass state. The Grand Lodge obviously is aware of the contents of
the monitor; it has been in use for more than fifty years.
Many Grand Lodges direct that a copy of The builders be given to every new Master
Mason. Some would say that when a new Master Mason is given a copy of The builders
as part of his Third Degree ceremony, a direct link to the existence of the Secret
Doctrine is legally and legitimately formed. Obviously, if the teachings in The builders,
including the teaching of the existence of the Secret Doctrine, were not compatible with
Freemasonry, Grand Lodges would not promote or distribute the book.
Can we understand Freemasonry without understanding the Secret Doctrine?
Swinburne Clymer wrote the following in The Mysticism of Masonry: (21)
"The Secret Doctrine is the complete philosophy of Masonic Symbolism." (page 48)
Clymer's statement is correct. The true nature of the Masonic Lodge cannot be
understood without understanding the Secret Doctrine and comparing it to the Gospel of
Jesus. Masonic author George Steinmetz wrote The Lost Word Its Hidden Meaning.
(22) The jacket flap of the book contains a statement that the book was "Written with the
primary purpose of delving into the Secret Doctrine in Freemasonry."
Chapter 2 is titled The Secret Doctrine. Steinmetz wrote:
"The Secret Doctrine, being the real secret of Freemasonry, is not divulged even to the
candidate. There is no machinery set up in the ritual fters contained therein through
their use, simulatioor the purpose, and the Secret Doctrine itself is not even
acknowledged to exist . . . Officially, the ritual is 'all that there is.' and no Grand Lodge
will go beyond that fact and attempt to define the teachings of Masonry, nor will any
Grand Lodge (to my knowledge) admit the existence of the Secret Doctrine which is so
openly discussed and written about by Masonic students and authorities on Masonic
symbolism. (pages 10-11)
Steinmetz continues:
"The Secret Doctrine in Freemasonry cannot be too strongly stressed. Firstly, because
there are those, in the Order, who in their lack of knowledge claim that it does not exist;
secondly, because the seeking Mason can gain no further light than is shed by the ritual
itself, until he starts his quest for the REAL SECRETS of the hidden Mysteries of
Freemasonry and they are found WITHIN THE SECRET DOCTRINE! (pages 12-13)
After considering the writings of Steinmetz, the Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide,
the Kentucky Monitor and Masonic Lodge Methods by Blakemore, we gain a better
understanding of the method. The Lodge avoids directly referring to the Secret Doctrine.
Instead, it tells the new Master Mason that there is more to learn and the way to learn is
to read. This method of instruction provides Grand Lodges an ability to deny
responsibility for the Secret Doctrine or even to deny the existence of the Secret
Doctrine. Even as they deny the existence of the Secret Doctrine, they continue to
encourage the discovery of it. Masonic practice casts serious doubt on the credibility of
denials of either the existence of the Secret Doctrine, or that it accurately reflects
Masonic teaching.
Additional Details of the Meaning of the Legend of the Third Degree
The Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide stated of the Legend of the Third Degree:
"By its legend and all its ritual, it is implied that we have been redeemed from the death
of sin and the sepulchre of pollution. (pages 144-145)
The Indiana Monitor makes the claim that Masons are redeemed from the death of sin,
yet the monitor fails to explain the details of the salvation process. Mystic Masonry, by
J.D. Buck contains a more complete explanation of the meaning of the Legend of the
Third Degree:
"In the third degree the candidate impersonates Hiram, who has been shown to be
identical with the Christos of the Greeks, and with the Sun-Gods of all other nations.
The superiority of Masonry at this point over all exoteric Religions consists in this: All
these religions take the symbol for the thing symbolized. Christ was originally like the
father. Now He is made identical with the Father. In deifying Jesus the whole of
humanity is bereft of Christos as an eternal potency within every human soul, a latent
Christ in every man. In thus deifying one man, they have orphaned the whole of
humanity! On the other hand, Masonry, in making every candidate personify Hiram, has
preserved the original teaching, which is a universal glyphic. Few candidates may be
aware that Hiram whom they have represented and personified is ideally, and precisely
the same as Christ. Yet such is undoubtedly the case. This old philosophy shows what
Christ as a glyphic means, and how the Christ-state results from real Initiation, or from
the evolution of the human into the Divine. pages 133-134)
The thrust of the paragraph is that Jesus is not unique. Buck writes that Hiram Abiff is
identical to Jesus the Christ! Buck states that by declaring Jesus to be uniquely God,
orthodox Christianity has deprived the whole of humanity from the possibility of
becoming Christs! The Christ-state is said to be the goal for each man. Each Mason can
evolve from the human into the Divine through Masonic Initiation! In other words, man
can become God!
Most Masons will deny that this could be a viable explanation of the Legend of the Third
Degree. Some are sincere and are simply ignorant of the facts. A Master Mason who
was raised in Kentucky claimed that he had never seen anything in his Masonic
experience which would in any way agree with the interpretation of J.D. Buck. He
claimed that none of the materials he had been given contained anything similar. The
man said that he had not read any Masonic book other than the Kentucky Monitor. Yet,
the Kentucky Monitor contains the following text in the preface. The context is a
discussion of the religions of antiquity and how each believed in a Mediator or
Redeemer.
"All believed in a future life, to be attained by purification and trials; in a state or
successive states of reward and punishment; and in a Mediator or Redeemer, by whom
the Evil Principle was to be overcome and the Supreme Deity reconciled to His
creatures. The belief was general that He was to be born of a virgin and suffer a painful
death. The Hindus called him Krishna; the Chinese, Kioun-tse; the Persians, Sosiosch;
the Chaldeans, Dhouvanai; the Egyptians, Horus; Plato, Love; the Scandinavians,
Balder; the Christians, Jesus; Masons, Hiram. It is interesting that the 'small hill west of
Mount Moriah' has been identified as Golgotha, or Mount Calvary. (pages XIV-XV)
The meaning of this paragraph in the Kentucky Monitor is clear. Jesus is the redeemer
of Christians and Hiram is a redeemer for Masons! The Kentucky Monitor clearly
presents Hiram Abiff as being in the same classification as Jesus! It even identifies
the'small hill west of Mount Moriah' with Calvary!
The Ahiman Rezon, the monitor of South Carolina, supports the identification of Hiram
with Jesus:
"The small hill near Mount Moriah can be clearly identified by the most convincing
analogies as being no other than Mount Calvary . . . The Christian Mason will readily
perceive the peculiar character of the symbolism which this identification of the spot on
which the great truth of the resurrection was unfolded in both systems(the Masonic and
the Christian)must suggest. "(pages 147-148)
The preface to the Kentucky Monitor contains other comparisons. In a discussion of the
book of John, which they say was written to prove the authors view of a contested
question, the following is found:
"He commences his essay, ëIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.' Of course the Word was lost at the death of the
Christian's Redeemer, Jesus, as at the death of Hiram. ( page XVI)
Jesus is the Word. The Kentucky Monitor states that the Word was lost when Jesus
died. Christians know that Jesus is alive and the Word was not lost. Jesus rose from the
dead and stands victorious. They are clearly implying that Jesus is dead. The final
portion from the preface of the Kentucky Monitor which verifies the correctness of J. D.
Buck's interpretation of the ritual concerns the teaching that man can become God.
From the Kentucky Monitor:
"The three really great rituals of the human race are the ritual of ancient Hinduism, the
Mass of the Christian Church, and the Third Degree of Masonry. Widely as they may
differ in detail, and far apart as they may seem to be in externals, yet together they
testify to the profoundest insight of the human soul, that God becomes man that man
may become God! "(page XX)
There are at least two major issues to be considered here. First, the Kentucky Monitor
agrees with Buck's interpretation that man can become God! The second is the
implication that God (Jesus) became man and then became God. Jesus became man
but, He NEVER became God. HE WAS ALWAYS GOD. The implication that he became
God is very close to implying that he became a Christ! It is equivalent to saying that
Jesus was not Christ when he came in the flesh.
The original source of this text is page 183 of The builders, by Joseph Fort Newton.
Those Lodges which present that book to new Master Masons are providing training
materials which directly state that man can become God.
Additional details of the Secret Doctrine reveal the Masonic plan of salvation more
completely. Mystic Masonry, by J.D. Buck, M.D., contains a chapter titled The Secret
Doctrine. Buck writes:
"Every soul must 'work out its own salvation,' and 'take the Kingdom of Heaven by
force.' Salvation by faith and the vicarious atonement were not taught, as now
interpreted, by Jesus, nor are these doctrines taught in the exoteric Scriptures. They are
later and ignorant perversions of the original doctrines. In the Early Church, as in the
Secret Doctrine, there was not one Christ for the whole world, but a potential Christ in
every man." (page 57)
Later in the chapter Buck further explains:
"It is far more important that men should strive to become Christs than that they should
believe that Jesus was Christ. If the Christ-state can be attained by but one human
being during the whole evolution of the race, then the evolution of man is a farce and
human perfection an impossibility. Jesus is no less Divine because all men may reach
the same Divine perfection. (page 62)
According to the Secret Doctrine, faith in Jesus the Christ is not necessary for salvation.
Notice that in the Secret Doctrine, the meaning of Christ has been redefined. Instead of
referring to the Messiah when they use the term, they refer to a state or condition which
man can attain. The Secret Doctrine teaches that Jesus was Christ, but he was not the
only one to attain that state. Being Christ is vital to Masonic salvation.
The Secret Doctrine states that each man must work out his own salvation. According to
the Secret Doctrine, Jesus is not unique. He is just another man; all men can become
Christs. But, what does the Bible say?
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me "(John 14:6)
"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him
doth this man stand here before you whole. {11} This is the stone which was set at
nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. {12} Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:1-12)
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his
grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus."(Romans 3:23)
Terminology of the Secret Doctrine
The terminology of the Secret Doctrine of the Masonic Lodge is largely unfamiliar to
Christians and for that matter, many Masons. General categories of terms describe
major concepts. Often multiple terms are used to refer to a particular concept. Cosmic
consciousness, Christ-consciousness and possession of the Lost Word all refer to the
same state, the Christ-state, wherein the individual Mason has worked out his own
salvation. Initiation, Evolution, Divine Science, Science of Soul Development and Soul
Architecture, are terms that all describe the same salvation process.
In the Secret Doctrine, possession of the Lost Word is the key to salvation. In The
Mysticism of Masonry, Clymer writes:
"After the candidate is obligated and brought to Light in the third degree, he is bantered
with the statement that undoubtedly he now imagines himself a Master Mason. He is
informed not only that such is not the case but that there is no certainty that he will ever
become such. He subsequently starts on his journey for the discovery of the Lost
Word." (page 49)
Clymer is referring here to that section of the third degree ritual just prior to the portion
where the candidate portrays Hiram Abiff. The candidate is intentionally misled that the
Lodge is about to be closed. He is asked how it feels to be a Master Mason, etc. and
then the Worshipful Master tells him, "Brother (man's name), you are not yet a Master
Mason, neither do I know that you will ever be. . ."
The hoodwink is again placed over his eyes before the ritual continues. The candidate
then portrays Hiram Abiff in the Legend of the Third Degree which deals with the death
of Hiram and the loss of the Word. Clymer writes of the Lost Word:
"Every man who takes upon himself the Masonic obligation, can, if he will, find this Lost
Word. The material required in the process of transmutation is within himself as surely
as a man who has his cellar filled with coal and a furnace wherein to burn it, has all that
is required to start a roaring fire which will heat his house. Finding the Lost Word is an
individual work. Each Soul must accomplish it or miss Immortality and this is true
whether a man be a churchman or a Mason or both. (page 55)
In the last sentence, Clymer claims that churchmen, those who have accepted Jesus as
their Lord and Savior and who have faith in Jesus as the Christ, will not have salvation
unless they also find the Lost Word.
Other Masonic writers stress the importance of finding the Lost Word. Consider the
words of Rev. Charles H. Vail in Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry: (23)
"The symbol of the Lost Word and the legend of the search for it, embodies the whole
design of Freemasonry. The primary object of Freemasonry is the search after Divine
Truth. The Word is a symbol of this Divine Truth, and this truth is the key to the Science
of the Soul. "(page 211)
Vail reveals clearly that the Lost Word is not a literal word but a symbol which
represents Divine Truth. Masonic writer Manly Palmer Hall wrote The Lost Keys of
Freemasonry. Hall was lifted up as Masonry's greatest philosopher in his obituary in the
November 1990 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal. Although Hall wrote more than 50
books and 65 smaller works, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry is the most well known and
used. (24) The obituary stated, "Hall did not teach a new doctrine but was an
ambassador of an ageless tradition of wisdom that enriches us to this day." (25)
Hall wrote of the Lost Word in his work, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry:
"The Word is found when the Master himself is ordained by the living hand of God,
cleansed by living water, baptized by living fire, a Priest King after the Order of
Melchizedek who is above the law." (page 59)
Hall is saying that the Master Mason becomes a Christ when the Lost Word is found.
The Melchizedek priesthood is the priesthood of Jesus Christ, mentioned in Hebrews
5:5-6. The teaching that man can become a Christ is the cornerstone of the Secret
Doctrine. Masonry's greatest philosopher embraced that teaching until his death in
1990.
In Ancient Operative Masonry, (26) S.R. Parchment sums up Masonic teaching on the
Lost Word, the Christ within and redemption contained in the Secret Doctrine:
"The 'Lost Word' is the Christ within, to which the Mystic Mason looks for redemption.
Thus the Master Jesus, who was an Initiate of the Ancient Operative School, taught his
followers that the kingdom of heaven is within. In the early church, as in the secret
doctrine, there was not a personal Christ for the whole world but a potential Christ in
every living being. Yea, the mystic while investigating the intangible realms beholds
potential Christs in the atoms which compose the universe. Hence Masons believe in
the Architect of the Universe, but positively not in Jesus the man as the only Son of
God.(Page 35)
Discovering the Lost Word
The process through which the Lost Word is rediscovered is known as Initiation.
Initiation, Evolution, Divine Science, Science of Soul Development, Soul Architecture,
and rediscovery of the Lost Word are all important terms in the language of the Secret
Doctrine and all describe the salvation process. Understanding the Secret Doctrine,
requires understanding Masonic Initiation.
The significance of Initiation
H.L. Haywood wrote about the significance of Initiation in the chapter titled The Meaning
of Initiation and Secrecy in The Great Teachings of Masonry:
"Masonic initiation is intended to be quite as profound and as revolutionizing an
experience. As result of it the candidate should become a new man: he should have a
new range of thought; a new feeling about mankind; a new idea about God..." (page 31)
After the reader has become fully aware of the Secret Doctrine the statement will be
understood to have a ponderous meaning. In the chapter titled The Secret Doctrine
Continued, in Buck's book Mystic Masonry, we find that the process of Human Evolution
(Initiation) is one in which man evolves from man into God by becoming Christ.
". . . becoming perfect in Humanity, man attains Divinity. In other words, he becomes
Christos. This is the meaning, aim, and consummation of Human Evolution; and this
Philosophy defines the one-only process by which it may be attained. The Perfect Man
is Christ: and Christ is God. This is the birth-right and destiny of every human soul.
(page 85-86)
Initiation is the evolutionary process by which the Secret Doctrine declares that man can
become a Christ and therefore God. This is the same deception that Satan used with
Eve.
The Technique of Initiation
Those unacquainted with the Secret Doctrine would initially assume that Initiation is a
ceremony, but such a assumption is incorrect. Mystic Masonry, by Buck contains an
explanation:
"All real Initiation is an internal, not an external process . . . It is thus that man must
'work out his own salvation.' The consummation of initiation is the Perfect Master, the
Christos, for these are the same. They are the goal, the perfect consummation of
human evolution. (page 86)
This provides a clue to the true nature of Initiation. Initiation does not refer to a
ceremony, but to an internal process. The discipline of Initiation is discussed in great
detail in The Masonic Initiation, (27) by W. L. Wilmshurst:
"It may be a surprise to some members of our Craft to be told that our ceremonial rites,
as at present performed, do not constitute or confer real Initiation at all, in the original
sense of admitting a man to the solemn mysteries of the human soul, and to practical
experience in divine science. . . . We profess to confer Initiation, but few Masons know
what real Initiation involves; very few, one fears, would have the wish, the courage, or
the willingness to make the necessary sacrifices to attain it if they did. (page 17)
The meaning of the last sentence in this last quotation is profound. What kind of
sacrifices are required? Wilmshurst's statement that few Masons know what real
Initiation involves is true. His suggestion that very few would be willing to make the
required sacrifice if they did understand is also true. Wilmshurst continues:
"For real Initiation means an expansion of consciousness from the human to the divine
level. (page 19)
"For those upon the path to real Initiation, meditation is essential.
(page 45)
" . . Initiation always occurs when the physical body is in a state of trance or sleep, and
when the temporarily liberated consciousness has been transferred to a higher level . . .
yet in the actual experience of soul-architecture Initiation succeeds Initiation upon
increasingly higher levels of the ladder as the individual becomes correspondingly ripe
for them, able to bear their strain and to assimilate their revelations. (page 87-88)
"Initiation has no other end than this conscious union between the individual soul and
the Universal Divine Spirit. (page 54)
So then, Initiation is a process in which a Mason goes into trance by passive meditation
and attains conscious union; that is, he establishes communications with the Masonic
god. By attaining conscious union with that god, he becomes a Christ. The process of
Initiation recurs over months and years and after each conscious union with the
Masonic god he has new understandings about himself and about the god. Initiation is
evolutionary; the Mason evolves into a god himself.
Identifying the God of Freemasonry
Clearly Masons, who discover the Lost Word through the process of Initiation, do not
attain conscious union with their god through Jesus. They deny that Jesus is the one
true Christ. From the writings of John, we can be certain that the God of the Bible is not
the Masonic god.
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth
the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father:
(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. "(1 John 2:22-23)
John tells us that he that denies that Jesus is the Christ is antichrist. Paul tells us that
there is only one God and one Christ:
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and
one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Corinthians 8:6)
The Secret Doctrine teaches that Jesus was born an ordinary man and that he became
a Christ later. He did not come as Christ in the flesh. The Meaning of Masonry, (28) by
Lynn Perkins contains the following:
"Jesus of Nazareth had attained a level of consciousness, of perfection, that has been
called by various names: cosmic consciousness, soul regeneration, philosophic
initiation, spiritual illumination, Brahmic Splendor, Christ-consciousness. (page 53)
Perkins writes that Jesus attained Christ-consciousness. Perkins is saying that Jesus
did not have Christ-consciousness, which is the same thing as the consciousness of
Christ, when he came in the flesh. We know from the writings of John that the god of
Freemasonry is the spirit of Antichrist:
"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even
now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:3)
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (2 John 1:7)
Conscious Union with the Spirit of Antichrist
Masons who embrace the Secret Doctrine attain conscious union with the spirit of
Antichrist. Manly Palmer Hall offers some clues in The Lost Keys of Freemasonry:
"When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper
application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft. The
seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and
upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply energy." (page 48)
Hall, Freemasonry's Greatest Philosopher, indicates that Lucifer is the power behind the
Lodge and that those who learn the mysteries of the Craft may tap into the seething
energies of Lucifer.Hall also identifies the spirit which Masons attain union with in words
which most Masons do not understand:
"In Freemasonry is concealed the mystery of creation, the answer to the problem of
existence, and the path the student must tread in order to join those who are really the
living powers behind the thrones of modern national and international affairs. (page 18)
The Master Mason, if he be truly a Master, is in communication with the unseen powers
that move the destinies of life. (page 57)
What does the Bible say? Who is this unseen power which controls the world?
"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of
the evil one ."(1 John 5:19 NIV)
The Builders was written by Joseph Fort Newton in 1914. It is the classic that today is
often presented to newly raised Master Masons. The bibliography contains references
to most of the major books and authors that reveal the hidden meanings behind
Masonry. In the chapter titled Secret Doctrine, the following is found:
"Perhaps the greatest student in this field of esoteric teaching and method, certainly the
greatest now living, is Arthur Edward Waite, to whom it is a pleasure to pay tribute.
(page 57)
The tribute continues from page 57 through page 61. Newton speaks of Waite's writings
as:
". . . a series of volumes noble in form, united in aim, unique in wealth of revealing
beauty, and of unequaled worth.
(page 59)
Waite, who until his death in 1945 was considered a great student of the Secret
Doctrine, wrote such books as Devil Worship in France, The Book of Black Magic, and
The Way of Divine Union. On pages 244 through 248 of The Book of Black Magic, (29)
are detailed instructions for conjuring Emperor Lucifer, conjuring Lucifer, Master and
Prince of Rebellious Spirits.For obvious reasons it will not be quoted here. Waite, one of
the Masonic greats, was a Luciferian.
Scriptural Evidence of Demonic Communication
Is conscious union with the spirit of Antichrist or communication with demons possible?
Consider Paul's words to Timothy:
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy;
having their conscience seared with a hot iron; "(1 Timothy 4:1-2)
It is obvious that for anyone to give heed to seducing spirits and their doctrines, the
doctrines must be communicated from the seducing spirits to man. The Masonic
doctrine that a Mason can become a Christ is not of God. It is clearly of Satan, the
Antichrist. Masonic Initiation is a process, central to the Secret Doctrine, whereby the
doctrines of devils are communicated to Masons by demons while they are in trance.
The previously quoted passage from The Masonic Initiation can be understood to agree
with the realities as predicted in scripture:
". . . yet in the actual experience of soul-architecture Initiation succeeds Initiation upon
increasingly higher levels of the ladder as the individual becomes correspondingly ripe
for them, able to bear their strain and to assimilate their revelations.
(page 87-88)
The process of Masonic Initiation is one in which the conscience of the individual is
seared as with a hot iron. As his spirit is progressively deadened, he is able to bear
more and then more of the revelations of darkness.
What is the expected result of Masonic Initiation?
Knowing the identity of the Masonic god, a clear understanding of the result of
conscious union with that god becomes possible. From Ancient Mysteries and Modern
Masonry:
"Initiation, as we shall see in a subsequent lecture, was regeneration, a real spiritual
'new becoming' or re-birth. The candidate himself became the thing
symbolized:Hermes, Buddha, Christ, etc. This state was the result of real Initiation, an
evolution of the human into the divine. (page 33)
He is saying that a Masonic initiate is reborn and has a new becoming. When a man
becomes a Christian, he is reborn. Masonry has a similar born-again experience that
will literally change a man's life. From The Masonic Initiation:
"True self-knowledge is unobstructed conscious union of the human spirit with God and
the realization of their identity. In that identic union the unreal, superficial selves have
become obliterated. The sense of personality is lost, merged in the Impersonal and
Universal. The little Ego is assumed into the great All, and knows as It knows. Man
realizes his own inherent ultimate Divinity, and thenceforth lives and acts no longer as a
separate individual, with an independent will, but in integration with the Divine Life and
Will, whose instrument he becomes, whose purposes he thenceforth serves. (page 49)
The Mason becomes unable to act as a separate individual and becomes an instrument
of the Masonic god. From Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry, by Rev. Charles H.
Vail:
"The consummation of all this was to make the Initiate a God, either by union with a
Divine Being without or by the realization of the Divine Self within. (page 25
With a clear understanding of the Secret Doctrine, we can understand the true meaning
of the following passages that were quoted previously. From the chapter titled The
Meaning of Initiation and Secrecy in The Great Teachings of Masonry:
"Masonic initiation is intended to be quite as profound and revolutionizing an
experience. As a result of it the candidate should become a new man: he should have a
new range of thought; a new feeling about mankind; a new idea about God ... (page 31)
The statement from The Masonic Initiation, by W. L. Wilmshurst also can be seen to
have a profound meaning:
"We profess to confer Initiation, but few Masons know what real Initiation involves; very
few, one fears, would have the wish, the courage, or the willingness to make the
necessary sacrifices to attain it if they did. (page 17)
Understanding the Purpose of the Masonic Lodge
In The Great Teachings of Masonry. H. L. Haywood wrote the following:
"The Fraternity itself exists in order to keep fixed on a man a certain set of influences,
and in order to bring about certain changes in the world, etc.: its secrecy is a means to
that end, and helps to make such a purpose possible. (page 33)
It is clear from an understanding of the Secret Doctrine and of Scripture, the certain set
of influences Haywood is referring to are demons. Haywood reveals the reason for
Masonic secrecy. From The Masonic Initiation, we can see that the objective of
Masonry is to bring men under the influence of demons through the process of Masonic
Initiation:
"Initiation has no other end than this conscious union between the individual soul and
the Universal Divine Spirit." (page 54)
". . . the whole purpose and end of Initiation, the union of the personal soul with its
Divine Principle. Masonry has no other objective than this; all other matters of interest
connected with it are but details subsidiary to this supreme achievement. (page 55)
Summary
The following is a summary of the major teachings contained in the Secret Doctrine:
1. There is not one Christ for the whole world, but a potential Christ in each man.
It is far more important to become a Christ than it is to believe that Jesus was
Christ.
2. Since each man can become a Christ himself, Masons have no need for the
cleansing blood of Jesus.
3. Through the process of Masonic Initiation, man may attain conscious union
with the god of Freemasonry. The process of Masonic Initiation is not a
ceremony, but an internal process which occurs while the individual is in trance.
4. When conscious union with the Masonic god is attained, the Lost Word is
found. The Mason has worked out his own salvation. He has become a Christ and
thus a god himself.
But, that is just not so. Jesus said it as simply as it could be stated,
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me. (John 14:6)
Endnotes
1. Rituals, Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply
Company, Inc., pages 566-571.
2. Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, 1959, 1975, Grand Lodge of Indiana, page
37-38.
3. Charter, Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, Henry Wilson Coil, 1961, Macoy Publishing &
Masonic supply company, page 125.
4. Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, 1975 edition, page 23.
5 . Indiana Blue Book of Masonic Law, 1953, Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons
of the State of Indiana, page 75.
6. Masonic Manual and Code, 1944, Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of
Georgia, page 313.
7. Ibid, page 315.
8. Masonic Text Book, 19th edition, 1919, The Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of the State
of West Virginia, page 25.
9. Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, page 11.
10. The Great Teachings of Masonry, H. L. Haywood, Copyrights 1921-1922 by The
National Masonic Research Society, 1923 by The Masonic Service Association of the
United States, 1971 and 1986 by Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc.
11. Manual of the Lodge, Albert G. Mackey, 1861, Macoy & Sickles, page 96.
12. Ibid, Page 96.
13. The Ahiman Rezon or Book of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free
Masons of South Carolina, 1947, Compiled and arranged by the authority of the Grand
Lodge of South Carolina, originally edited by Albert G. Mackey, M.D.
14. Carolina Lodge Manual, 1979, The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted
Masons of North Carolina, page 53.
15. Monitor and Ceremonies, Ancient, Free, and accepted Masons, 1923, The Grand
Lodge of Nebraska, pages 56-57.
16. Masonic Manual of Alabama, Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of Alabama, 1913, pages 42
and 78.
Florida Masonic Monitor, Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of Florida, 1977, pages 39, 109-110.
Masonic Manual and Code, Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of Georgia, 1944, pages 22 and
70.
The Idaho Monitor, Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of the State of Idaho, 1903, pages 11
and 53.
The Official Monitor of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, State of Illinois, Grand Lodge of Illinois, 1962, pages 24 and 66.
Indiana Monitor and Freemason's Guide, Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and
Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana, 1959, 1975, pages 63-64 and 101-102.
Shaver's Masonic Monitor, William M. Shaver, Past Grand Master of the Most
Worshipful Grand Lodge of Kansas, 1899, pages 37 and 103.
The Kentucky Monitor, Henry Pirtle, Past Master, 1946, pages 41 and 145.
Michigan Monitor and Ceremonies, Grand Lodge F. & A. M., Michigan, 1911, pages 10
and 39.
Masonic Manual and Monitorial Instructions of the Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of
Minnesota, Grand Lodge of Minnesota, 1964, pages 21 and 5.
Blue Lodge Text-Book, Official publication of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi Free and
Accepted Masons, 1978, pages 15 and 44.
Monitor and Ceremonies, Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons, Grand Lodge of
Nebraska, 1923, pages 25 and 65.
North Carolina Lodge Manual, Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of
North Carolina, 1979, pages 25 and 65.
Manual of Dayton Lodge No. 147, Free and Accepted Masons, Dayton, Ohio, 1921,
(issued 1940), pages 68 and 90.
Manual of Miami Valley Lodge No. 660, Free and Accepted Masons, Dayton, Ohio,
1921, (issued 1955), pages 29 and 51.
Ahiman Rezon, Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina, 1947, pages
90 and 155.
Tennessee Craftsman or Masonic Textbook, Grand Lodge F. and A. M., 1972, pages 22
and 95.
A Manual of Freemasonry adapted to the Work and Government of the Lodges
Subordinate to the Grand Lodge of Texas, Wm. M. Taylor, Past Grand Master, 1883, 29
and 81.
Virginia Text Book, Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Virginia, 1944, pages
94, 122 and 123.
Masonic Text Book for use of the Lodges in West Virginia, Most Worshipful Grand
Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of the State of West Virginia, 1919, pages 41 and 84-85.
17. Masonic Lodge Methods, L. B. Blakemore, 1953, Masonic History Company, also
1953, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company.
18. Catalog No. 119, September 1, 1992, Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc.,
page 105
19. The Builders, Joseph fort Newton, 1914, 1951, Macoy Publishing & Masonic supply
co., Inc.
20. Kentucky Monitor, Eighth edition, 1946, arranged by Henry Pirtle, Past Master,
Copyright, 1921, The Standard Printing Co. Incorporated, Louisville, Ky.
21. The Mysticism of Masonry, R. Swinburne Clymer, M.D., 1924, The Philosophical
Publishing Company. Originally published under the title Ancient Mystical Oriental
Masonry.
22. The Lost Word Its Hidden Meaning, George Steinmetz, 1953, Macoy Masonic
Publishing and Supply Company.
23. The Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry, Rev. Charles H. Vail, 32, 1909, Macoy
Publishing and Masonic Supply Company.
24. The Lost Keys of Freemasonry. Manly Palmer Hall, 1923, Macoy Publishing and
Masonic Supply Co. Inc. was listed as his best known writing.
25. Scottish Rite Journal, November, 1990, page 22, Official monthly publication of the
Supreme Council, 33, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the
Southern Jurisdiction, United States of America.
26. Ancient Operative Masonry, S. R. Parchment, 1930, W. B. Conkey Company.
27. The Masonic Initiation, Walter L. Wilmshurst, 1924, Percy Lund Humphries & Co.
Limited, London, reprinted, 1980 Trismegistus Press, United States.
28. The Meaning of Masonry, Lynn F. Perkins, CSA Press, distributed by Macoy, etal.
29. The Book of Black Magic, Arthur Edward Waite, first American printing 1972 by
Samuel Weiser, Inc., sixth printing 1989.